How to follow up

After you have completed your performance appraisal, make sure both you and the employee have a copy of the development plan or a written record of next steps and commitments.

You should plan on following up after every appraisal meeting. High performers and satisfactory performers will likely need less follow-up. However, if you've given them new, more demanding goals, you'll want to monitor their progress and determine if they need additional training, coaching, or support.

Employees with performance gaps who have committed to development plans should be more carefully monitored. In most cases, monitoring takes the form of a follow-up meeting every few weeks or months. Your goal in these meetings is to check up on your employee's progress against his or her development plan, and provide coaching if necessary.